Ottawa University's Student Housing Options

Photo by Jon Painter

Choosing a school in order to continue one’s education is a difficult decision. Finding a place to live can be an even tougher challenge. The Campus has come up with a guide to help make these decisions easier.

For students attending Ottawa University who don’t live within commuting distance, there are primarily six options for residence. Brown Hall, Martin Hall and Bennett Hall are the three dorms on campus.

Patty Hall and Blue Mountain Apartments are two off-campus housing options run by the university.

The sixth and last option for students is to find a house or apartment in town to rent on their own.

Brown Hall

Pros:

Brown Hall is the cheapest dorm among the on-campus housing options for students. While lacking the luxury of other dorms, Brown Hall’s austere environment forces students out of their shell and to get out and experience college.

Cons:

Brown Hall has the décor and feel of a Cold War-era housing block. The rooms are small with space for two beds, two desks and little else. Communal restrooms are located on each floor of Brown Hall and parking is very limited. There is one shared kitchen on the bottom floor and, as with all shared appliances, it can get very messy. Brown Hall also only has one entrance and no elevator, which makes moving in and moving out more difficult.  

Martin Hall

Pros:

Parking for Martin Hall is usually very spacious. Martin Hall is one of the more luxurious dorms on campus with built-in closets and suite-style living quarters. Martin’s living space also features a kitchen.

Cons:

With kitchens in Martin, students live with the knowledge that fire alarms are going to be more frequently set off at all hours of the day. While the hall has some of the more luxurious accommodations, these same luxuries can cause students to nestle into their own anti-social shell.

Bennett Hall

Pros:

Bennett Hall is located closest of all the dorms to the Braves Athletic Performance Center, Café and library. This is important, as it lessens the walk to weights early in the morning and also means less time in the cold during Kansas winters.

Cons:

Students living in Bennett Hall with windows facing the south are forced to contend with the lights and noises coming from the football field, as early practices are common in the fall semester. Like Martin, living in Bennett can become too cozy and become too easy to just revert to playing video games every night.

Patty Hall

Pros:

Patty Hall comes with fully furnished living room, kitchen, one shared bathroom and three separate bedrooms. If everyone in your suite is over the age of 21, alcohol is permitted. Despite being off campus, Patty Hall is less than 800 ft. from the classrooms of Atkinson Hall, which is especially beneficial if you are a communications major.

Cons:

Patty Hall is in that in-between distance of “Do I walk to school or do I drive?” when the cold winter of Kansas arrives. If you do walk, the road that leads directly to school from Patty is a dirt road, and when it rains or the snow melts, it is often a swamp of puddles and mud.

Blue Mountain Apartments

Pros:

Aside from those who have lived there, few people at Ottawa University know about Blue Mountain Apartments. These gives students a precursor into living on their own without a landlord breathing down their neck. Living here is very similar to renting a place in town with the exception of internet, water and electricity already being paid.  

Cons:

Like most off-campus housing options run by Ottawa University, Blue Mountain is considerably more expensive than on-campus residence halls. While most dorms have cable provided, Ottawa is frequently late paying the cable bill, causing lapses with the cable service to the residence halls.  

Living Off Campus

Pros:

When living off campus, a student gets to be an adult. There are no visitation hours, no alcohol policies and no room checks. Students who live off campus get more control of their expenses. It also allows students to step away from college life, relax and be independent.

Cons:

Driving or walking to and from campus every day can be tedious. Early morning weights and then early morning class afterward can hamper a student’s schedule and require planning ahead to tackle each day.

For some, it is tricky to decide where to live. If you are struggling to make a decision, take into consideration the pros and cons that The Campus has offered you.